SPEARFISH, S.D. — The Highlands Cowboys surged past Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference newcomer Black Hills State University 46-31 on Saturday in Spearfish, S.D., keeping the team alive in the league title hunt.

Highlands (7-2 overall, 6-1 RMAC) battled both the Yellow Jackets and the wet and cold elements en route to the win. Despite having six turnovers in the game, the Cowboys regrouped offensively with one of their more balanced efforts.

Except for a backbreaking six-minute span that began in the final minute of the third quarter Friday night, West Las Vegas played Taos quite evenly, showing signs of progress in what has been a trying season.

That window of time was all it took for the visiting Tigers to pull away, however. Taos is 6-2 and looking to grab the District 2-3A title, and West is 1-7 and wondering how close it could have been.

Andres Lujan led a good pass rush for the Dons with a couple of sacks, and Frankie Palacio and Joshua Hidalgo also came through with heads-up defensive play.

The NMHU Cowboys started their 2012-13 campaign on solid note taking down the Griffins of Westminster College by a final score of 89-85 in front of a raucous crowd in the John A. Wilson Complex on Friday night in their first exhibition game of the season.

The Cowboys and the Griffins battled throughout the game, trading the lead throughout the first half. The Pokes went into the halftime break leading 47-45.

Las Vegas’ boxing siblings, Arturo and Amanda Crespin, returned to the Meadow City with a pair of championship belts over the weekend.
Each strap was earned in a different manner.

Arturo “El Toro” Crespin stopped Jose Cruz Garcia (3-5-1) in the sixth round of their scheduled eight-round match on Saturday night at the Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque. The official ruled a technical knockout in Crespin’s favor at the 2:27 mark in that round.